10 Reasons for 10 Billion Connected Mobile Devices by 2020

Guest post from Lisette Sens, part of The NextWomen Mobile Tech Theme.

Anything, anytime, anywhere; mobile empowering our
life on the move

In the late 90’s the internet changed our
life; no longer were we dependent on postal service or fax machines but email
allowed us instant communication with people and business around the world.

Initially via portals, later companies
started offering their services directly online. Mobile internet was available
but the mobile phones at that time, though the good old Nokia’s and Motorola’s
didn’t have a large enough screen and you practically needed a Science degree to
install an app – much less find it again after it was downloaded.

Data plans were expensive and few people
actually used the WAP or APP services available. When iPhone was introduced the
game changed… a larger screen, an Appstore to make it easy to install apps (and
offer companies a business model to earn money out of it!), a decent browser to
surf the internet and data plans making it affordable to use these services.
And it became addictive! Who can live without their mobile, knowing all your
friends, your favourite music, your bank information, the weather forecast,
your email ….everything is there!

Going mobile is a trend which cannot be
reversed… its exponential growth will only increase – making the internet more
pervasive than it has ever been. Not only phones, but also tablets, navigation
and gaming devices, and even home appliances are all part of our mobile life!

Below the top 10 mobile trends to watch…

1. Mobile is hitting a critical
mass!

The Web is converging rapidly to the mobile
channel….with more people having access to smart phone and tablet devices. People
now regularly use their “mobile devices” any time anywhere for accessing
content or services. With content
consumption becoming largely mobile, it will be adapted to needs and interested
of the mobile users.

2. It’s all about Usability!

When we use our mobiles or tablets for information, or services, we
expect it to be presented to us in a user friendly, and easily accessible way
(in a word – we expect it to ‘feel’ mobile). Apple showed us how important usability really
is – as iPhones and iPads have been quickly adopted by children and their
luddite parents alike - many of whom who
before wouldn’t have been able to even browse
the internet on the computer!

So even though the mobile
internet was actually around since the late nineties it was never really used by anyone. It took Apple to
truly show us what we were looking
for - easy and intuitive services right at our fingertips – proving it is not
only about the technology but, crucially, how easy and pleasant it is to
use. In order to deliver a successful mobile experience it is important we take
these basic lessons into account.

3. Mobile is global

Mobile is unlocking new parts of the world and more ways than ever
to participate in it! Africa and other emerging countries never had access to TV
or internet on a large scale. With an increasing number of users in Africa having
access to a mobile phone , many even hold their bank account on their handsets.
Similarly mobiles provide people access to news and other information they
never (or with great difficulty) had access to.

4. Social networking
accelerating the further growth of mobile

Social
experiences are also more compelling on the mobile. The mobile allows for adding
real time social features such as location sharing, friending, and commenting
in real time. We don’t have to tell our friends about our holidays anymore;
they have been able to follow our journeys and are green with envy upon return
from looking at our pictures of beautiful beaches and adventurous sites.

5. Changing shopping behavior; mCommerce
is changing the way we shop.

Location based
services allow for offers on the move, locate coffee shops or restaurants
nearby…, Pricing becomes more transparent (instant local and online price
comparison will disrupt the retailers), and mobile allows companies to pass on discounted
offers and immediate gratification of the clients on the move. In addition a
whole new way has opened for consumers to get instant digital product and
content delivery like music, films, and even book on their iPad’s, and with the
Kindle 3G we have the whole of Waterstones with us on the beach!)

6. The diverse ecosystem of mobile
operating systems is here to stay

The
technology battle between Apple, Google, Microsoft , Nokia , Samsung and Blackberry is far from over. HTML5 is not
yet robust enough to deliver on its
cross-platform promise or the standard user experience the native mobile app has
achieved. With the next generation of digital natives literally growing up with
apps, they are often too young to type, and yet can easily navigate an iPhone
or iPad! In this world of device and mobile operating system fragmentation,
platform technologies can help solve the headaches for enterprises around productivity
and lifecycle management of mobile apps and provide alternatives to deliver the
content ubiquitously to all their customers – regardless of device or OS.

7. Mobile in combination with
cloud

Access anything anywhere….Dropbox, Box,
Salesforce….We love it and are all using it. For back up reasons, having access
to all your pictures, files, and anything important cloud technologies make it
possible to access our files from our mobile devices.

8. Mobile and monetization

The web was largely free, most companies struggled to introduce
compelling revenue models… The app stores have introduced new revenue models
for mobile and tablets and subscription based models, in app payments or a
one-off app download have all become acceptable for content which was largely
offered free via the web.

9. Mobile in the enterprise

Many companies are introducing tablets for productivity. Apps
allow their employees to easily connect back with company back end systems
whilst they are on the move.

10. Mobile and gamification

With the
introduction of Apps more than ever the fun factor has been introduced to make services
more popular. Banks such as BBVA in Spain believe gamification of their
services makes it attractive and will help them to gain new clients and retain
their existing installed base. And we’re talking about a Bank here!

It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million
listeners,

Television took 13 years to reach 50 million viewers, the Internet
took 4 years to reach 50 million people, the iPad reached 50 million users in
just 18 months!

Mobile is bigger than anyone has ever seen,
and we are not talking just phones… its tablets, e-readers, games, wireless
home appliances, car electronics…… In todays world there are about 1 Billion
connected computers… its expected that we have about 10 billion connected
mobile devices in 2020… that is 10 times the size of the internet!

Guest article by Lisette Sens, one of the co-owners of Service2Media, a leading mobile technology company where she is responsible for the global sales. Service2Media's technology makes it easier for companies to develop for the increasing diversity of the mobile phone and tablet marketplace – allowing them to tailor their brand and their experience to every user. Lisette has 20 years experience in the IT and Telecommunications industry. During her career Lisette has been involved and contributed to some major digital media initiatives. Lisette is originally from the Netherlands, living in the UK now for 12 years.

Sign Up to our Newsletter

So you enjoy The NextWomen. Why not sign up to our monthly newsletter?You get a Letter from the CEO :-), the chance to catch up with the best of our recent articles - and some extra things we throw in once in a while.

What is The Next Women?

The NextWomen is a community of Investors, Entrepreneurs & Advisers. We build formats to support the growth of female entrepreneurs -from
startups to companies making millions. We provide access to capital, resources and networks,
offering our community a support infrastructure critical for success.

About TNW

The NextWomen is a community of Investors, Entrepreneurs & Advisers. We build formats to support the growth of female entrepreneurs -from
startups to companies making millions. We provide access to capital, resources and networks,
offering our community a support infrastructure critical for success. Join the community too! - See more at: http://www.thenextwomen.com/about-us/contributors#sthash.9GODHllB.dpuf

The NextWomen is a community of Investors, Entrepreneurs & Advisers. We build formats to support the growth of female entrepreneurs -from
startups to companies making millions. We provide access to capital, resources and networks,
offering our community a support infrastructure critical for success. Join the community too! - See more at: http://www.thenextwomen.com/membership/sign-up#sthash.0ApND3BW.dpuf

The NextWomen is
a community of Investors, Entrepreneurs & Advisers. We
build formats to support the growth of female entrepreneurs -from startups to
companies making millions. We provide access to capital, resources and
networks, offering our community a support infrastructure critical for success.